HOUSSEATJ. 179 



in the neighbourhood, at the beginning of ] 769, and 

 there chose to fall acquainted with a retired officer, M. 

 St. Germain, on whom he forced his most confidential 

 friendship, and who told him plainly, that, seeing the 

 disordered state of his fancy, he preferred his own 

 plain sense to all his philosophy. This worthy man, 

 however, though very religious, and as different from 

 him as possible in his character, conceived that warm 

 friendship which so many people felt for him, chiefly 

 from the pity which his weakness and misery inspired, 

 partly from the infantine openness of his heart. His 

 letters at this time are all dated in a cypher, like those 

 of the Quakers ;* and he begins each letter with four bad 

 verses, about men being poor creatures. Nothing can 

 be more dull than his correspondence during the two 

 years which he spent in this neighbourhood. He 

 could, however, no longer refrain from the food which 

 Paris offered to his vanity ; and after resolving to 

 visit Chambery, partly, he said, to weep over the re- 

 collection of Madame de Warens, who had died while 

 he was at Neufehatel, partly to discomfit his enemies, 

 because they would not know he was there, he all at 

 once says, " Ne parlous plus de Chambery : 1'honneur 

 et le devoir crient, et je n'entends plus que leur voix." 

 So away he goes to Paris, where he creates, by his arri- 

 val, some sensation, and more by his reading the ' Con- 

 fessions' in select circles ; and this is all the explanation 

 ever given of what he meant by the calls of honour and 

 duty. From July, 1770, when he returned, to March, 

 1778, when he removed to Ermenonville, he remained at 



* Thus for 15th January, 1769, VT 1769. 



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